Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been uncertainty about the risk of corona infection in airplanes.
A new study shows that a certain factor reduces this risk enormously.
“Keeping your distance” is one of the rules of conduct that we have internalized deeply during the corona pandemic.
However, this is hardly possible in the aircraft - especially since no middle places are left free due to the inefficiency.
On top of that, passengers are not just for a short moment, but often for several hours with strangers in a confined space - that creates a lot of uncertainty.
Although many airlines repeatedly refer to the HEPA filters that are built into the machines and that even provide clean air in operating theaters, researchers point out that a complete air exchange takes several minutes.
During this time, passengers could be infected with the corona virus.
Corona infection risk on the plane: PCR tests before departure the solution?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have already been several studies * that have tracked the risk of infection in aircraft. A new study by the Georgia Department of Health and the Mayo Clinic, which appeared in the journal "Mayo Clinic Proceedings", has now identified a certain factor that could reduce
the risk of
infection on the plane enormously: According to this,
the risk of getting caught up with the Infect coronavirus at less than 0.1 percent when all passengers tested negative
. The study is based on data from almost 10,000 passengers who took part in the "quarantine-free flights" from New York and Atlanta to Rome between December 2020 and May 2021.
Also interesting
: How likely is a corona infection on the plane?
Study surprises with result.
On these Delta Airlines connections, passengers who were allowed to enter Italy were allowed to bypass the quarantine by subjecting themselves to an elaborate test procedure.
Among other things, those affected had to
present a PCR test that was no more than three days old,
as well as three rapid tests
during the trip
- when boarding in New York or Atlanta, on arrival at Rome Fiumicino Airport and before the return flight.
The result of the study: A negative PCR test that was no more than 72 hours old before departure could reduce the number of actively infected people in the aircraft to such an extent that it is below the number of active infections in the general population.
While the average infection rate in the population was 1.1 percent, for example, it was only 0.05 percent on the “quarantine-free flights”.
Also read
: According to studies, the risk of corona infection on the plane is higher than expected.
“The risk of air travel varies depending on the number of cases and vaccination rates at the place of origin and destination, masks and other factors.
However, the data collected in this study show that
routine use of a single PCR test within 72 hours of international travel in unvaccinated individuals
significantly reduces the risk of exposure to or transmission of Covid-19 while
traveling by
air " said Henry Ting, Delta's health director, of the study results.
(fk) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
